ft 



506 Ex. Doc, No. 41. 



Maj 



thin a h 



us.^ There was also a rumor that General Wool would march to 

 Chihuahua, hut that he ha 1 gone by the way of Monclova. 



December 10. — This morning I went up to " Parida," in order to 

 purchase provisions. The river was full of floating ice, and for 

 sonae distance from the shore it was yet unbroken. We \rere 

 obliged to get logs and break a road for the wagons, and even then 

 it was with considerable difficulty that we succeeded in urging the 

 mules into the river. ' When we arrived at the opposite shore, we 

 found Major Gilpin and his command. The mep were without 

 tents, and constant^ exposure to the cold and snOW, on the high 

 sierras of the Navajoes country, have given" them a pretty ragged 

 looking exterior. After we had proceeded five miles, we met 

 Colonel Doniphan and his staff. He said that he should march for 

 Chihuahua, as soon as the artillerj should' arrive from Santa F6. 

 We recrossed th^ river at San Pedro, and at dark reached "Parida," 

 where we stopped at the house of the alcalde, Don Miguel Baca. 

 He asked me if " El Stnor Don St. Jago Polk, no esta el Presidente 

 denuestra republica." I found out that he considered himself a 

 citizen of the United States. 



Decemher 11.— Everything has just doubled in value, beeves are^ 

 now worth |20 a head, and corn $6 the fanega. 



Decemher 12.— The kindness of these people was remarkable j 



they gave us numerous presents of " ponche," or tobacco, and 



♦^chih Colorado." At 9 o'clock we started, after having embraced 



the whole household. We were struck with their 'politeness; 



they always uncovered their heads when offering a light for our 



cigarito;" and, when they made any movement, prefixed it with 



con su hcencea Sefior." When an old patriarch of the village 



entered, they all rose and uncovered their heads; he, too, was a 

 JBaca. . » ; 7 . 



About dark we reached our camp at Valverde, when I received 

 several letters; and amongst them an order, from the adjutant 

 general, directing me to repair immediately to Washington city. V 



already two orders to the same effect, one from General Kearny, 

 ana the other from Colonel Doniphan; and, as it was not known which 

 way Colonel Doniphan would proceed after reaching Chihuahua, I 

 , determined to return at once to Santa Fe, and thence proceed to 

 tue United States, which was the only route open to me. Many of 

 my iriends represented the undertaking as almost impossible, but 



.n?r«!TT',^'?^''^^° ^^^ ^'""^'^^ t^« Prairies in the winter; 

 and, as he had done it, I did not see why it might not be donfe' 

 again; moreover, my orders to return had to be obiyed 



P^cember 13.-I obtained five beautiful specimens of 'the "ortix 

 squamosa;" as the arsenic that we had obtained in St. Louis had 



been taken to California, I was obliged to fill the skins with 

 corn meal. on.iix 



■ ^"^ -^l ^l^l'''''''^ ^e saw Captain Walton's picket guard retUrn- 



CH^tnLl f '"'' i^^'r^^ ^y ^^^^-^ ^^'P^°' ^^« was^ow at Fray 

 Cristobal, from which place he would proceed to San Juan, as soon 



